Buckeyes Now

PREVIEW: No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes Reunite With Luke Fickell vs. Wisconsin Badgers

College football analysts are beginning to put the Ohio State Buckeyes on upset alert for their Week 9 game versus the Wisconsin Badgers.

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

Coming off of a major win over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions, the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes face another stiff test this week, when they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers, who are sitting at 5-2 after a win over Illinois, will have a familiar face to Buckeyes fans on their sidelines in coach Luke Fickell, who served as an assistant for Ohio State from 2002-2016, even being named the team's interim head coach in 2011 following the departure of Jim Tressel. 

Fickell also played for Ohio State from 1993-96 before moving into a coaching career.

Despite being 109 miles away from Ohio State during his stint as Cincinnati's head coach Fickell has only coached against the Buckeyes once. In 2019, then-Fickell's Bearcats went into the Horseshoe and were shut out in a 42-0 loss. He will be hoping for a better outcome against his alma mater. 

And while this is Fickell's first season in Madison, there will still be pressure to end the Buckeyes' current nine-game winning streak over the Badgers. Wisconsin's last win over Ohio State happened back in 2010 when the then-No. 1 Buckeyes fell to the Badgers on the road. 

Not only that, but the first-year head coach will have to do it with a backup freshman QB after starter Tanner Mordecai was injured in Week 7 with a broken hand. 

In replacement of Mordecai, the Badgers will start freshman Braedyn Locke, who completed 21 of 41 passes for 240 yards and two scores on Saturday in the win over the Illini.

Wisconsin 

2023 Record: 5-2

Head Coach: Luke Fickell

Offensive Key Players:

Passing: Braedyn Locke

2023 Stats: 37 of 72 for 370 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.  

Rushing: Braelon Allen

2023 Stats: 120 carries for 704 yards and eight touchdowns 

Receiving: Will Pauling

2023 Stats: 37 receptions for 398 yards and one touchdown

Defensive Leaders

Tackles: S Hunter Wohler, 70

Sacks: LB Darryl Peterson, 3.5

Interceptions: Ricardo Hallman, 4

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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